Page 38 of Take You Home (Redwater Demons #3)

U ncle Kyle, Uncle Kyle!” Desi says excitedly, teetering precariously on top of the wooden fence near the lake and taking a wobbling step forward. “Look at me! I’m balancing!”

Even at a distance, Obie can tell that Chester looks faintly panicked. “You sure are, sweetie,” he says, hovering his hands directly next to her in case she tips over. “And you’re giving me a whole lot of anxiety while you’re at it.”

Roma laughs, strolling along on Desi’s other side without a care in the world. “You worry too much, Kyle. Desi, can you stand on one leg?”

Desi’s eyes brighten. “Yes!” she says, and she picks up one foot, sways unsteadily, and topples towards the ground.

Hastily, JJ catches her. “You know, I think I agree with Uncle Kyle,” he informs her. “Maybe we should give the ‘balancing in high places’ challenge a rest for now, Desi.”

Desi’s eyes widen innocently. “But why?”

Ez snorts as JJ futilely attempts to explain that she could get hurt, Roma watches with amused eyes, and Chester clearly tries to hide his relief nearby. “Our humans are ridiculous.”

“Easy for you to say,” Cass says, craning his neck to check on Desi and JJ. “Desi might be a demon, but she can still get hurt. And JJ hates it when she gets hurt.”

Obie frowns. “Can’t you just heal her? I thought your healing spells had mostly recovered since the soul exchange.”

“Well, yes,” Cass huffs, “but you’re missing the point, Obadiah.”

Ez laughs again, and Obie grins back, relaxing into his beach chair.

Right now, the entire group is hanging out on the far end of Lakeside, all of them appropriately glamoured to prevent any of their myriad enemies from recognizing them.

It wasn’t long after they finished their poutine and ice cream that Desi took off like a shot towards the nearest climbable object, leaving JJ and his human entourage to chase after her while the demons stayed behind to enjoy the show.

Cass and Ez seem perfectly content with the distance, but it’s making Obie a little bit antsy.

Even though he can spend up to a few hours away from Chester nowadays, that doesn’t mean he likes to.

He likes standing close, likes their constant hand-on-shoulder contact, likes chatting with him telepathically.

He likes a lot of things about his hunter, really.

But Chester looks like he’s having a blast with JJ, Roma, and Desi, so Obie is reluctantly accepting the distance. And Chester keeps glancing towards Obie at periodic intervals, almost like he’s checking to make sure Obie is still there, which Obie finds immensely satisfying for some reason.

Almost like Ez can read Obie’s mind, she reaches over to nudge his shoulder. “So how are things with your boy toy, Obie? Still in the honeymoon phase?”

“I guess,” Obie says casually. “We’re still having fun together, if that’s what you mean. ”

Strangely enough, it’s not a lie. Between their constant banter through the telepathic link, “Kyle’s” esteemed appearances at Wednesday bowling league, and their long Sanctum-toppling discussions until Chester falls asleep every night, Obie feels more alive than he has in years.

Maybe even decades.

It’s a problem. He’s known that it’s a problem for a while now, but it’s becoming more and more true with each passing day. There’s no boy toy, no honeymoon phase, not even an actual person named Kyle, but??—

But there’s part of Obie that wishes this fake relationship were real. Part of him that wishes he really did have some kind of claim on this impulsive, driven, incredible human who’s somehow wormed his way into Obie’s life.

Maybe they can get there someday. Obie is hoping they can broach the subject once Chester officially leaves the Sanctum and moves in with Obie?—moves in with him, at least, until they break the binding spell.

Maybe Obie can even convince him to stay for longer.

He’s trying not to think too much about those possibilities, though.

And they’re surprisingly easy to ignore right now.

Chester is so laser-focused on bringing down the Sanctum that Obie doesn’t even think he has the mental bandwidth to consider a romantic relationship, and if Obie is being honest, he’s almost as obsessed as Chester is.

Usually, when they’re deep in discussion about evidence and battle plans, Obie doesn’t even think about his ill-advised attraction.

Usually, it’s only after Chester falls asleep that Obie finds his eyes lingering on Chester’s soft breathing and imagines him curled up in Obie’s bed, instead.

He forces his thoughts back to the present. “Anyway, there isn’t much news on the Kyle front,” he says briskly. “How about you, Ez? Everything going well with you and Roma?”

Ez hums in agreement. “We cook a lot of good food, practice a lot of good magic, and have a lot of good sex. I’m happy.”

Cass buries his face in his hands, exasperated. “Ez.”

“What? He asked!” Ez’s lips twitch as she watches Roma show Desi how to do a cartwheel, much to JJ’s and Chester’s dismay.

“And things are going really well, actually. We’re having a blast working through some older spell books and advanced techniques together?—ones that would be too dangerous for a solo spellcaster?—and we’re still tinkering with human-magic rifts, too.

” She nods at Obie. “Plus, we’re fussing with that counterspell for Kyle’s idiot friend.

It’s been a lot of trial and error to figure out what mistake he could’ve introduced during the pre-casting process, but I think we’re getting close. Maybe another week or so?”

“Take your time,” Obie assures her. “We really appreciate your help.”

“And we appreciate the distraction.” Ez raises her eyebrows at Cass. “How about you, Cass? Anything new with your little slice of domesticity?”

“Well, I’m going to need both of you to be in the Courtyard on September 22 at five forty-five p.m. sharp,” Cass says breezily. “Because I’m going to ask JJ to marry me at six.”

Ez promptly chokes on her drink. Obie thumps her on the back a few times, gaping at Cass. “I’m sorry. That’s when you’re what?”

“You’re going to?—?!” Ez begins, her voice loud and excited, before Cass slices a hand across his throat in a “please shut up” motion. Impatiently, she snaps a soundproofing spell into place. “You’re going to propose? You’re going to propose in three weeks?”

Cass looks pleased. “Yep. And it’s the day before our sixth-month anniversary, so I’m pretty sure JJ won’t even suspect it.

Desi, either. I want to surprise both of them.

” His smile softens. “And I want it to be a surprise for Roma, too, but I figured you two should know in advance. Just in case you need to talk me down from a panic attack.”

“Can I?—??” Suddenly, Obie’s throat feels dry. “Can I bring Kyle?”

“If he wants to come, then sure,” Cass says, his eyes straying back across the shore.

When Obie follows his gaze, it’s to see Desi sitting happily on Chester’s shoulders while Roma braids her hair and JJ shows Chester something on his phone.

“Actually, I think JJ would really like that?—he and Kyle seemed to hit it off pretty well. And JJ doesn’t have a huge support system outside of our group, so having other humans around is good for him. ”

There’s a tinge of sadness in his voice. Obie’s heart twists. “They won’t need the glamours forever, Cass,” he says quietly. “We’ll take down the Sanctum and the Chain, and we’ll make Redwater safe for them again. And then JJ, Roma, and Desi can have all the friends they ever wanted.”

Including some old friends they won’t expect. Obie takes a deep breath, trying to quell the sudden swirl of emotions in his chest.

Chester will be so happy to watch Cass propose to JJ. So happy to see his oldest friend get engaged, so happy to share that experience with him??—

Even if he can’t tell JJ who he really is, Obie knows they’ll both appreciate it. And someday, they can tell JJ that his best friend was right there at the proposal with the rest of them.

Obie can’t wait for that day to come.

Ez leans forward conspiratorially. “So how are you going to pop the question?”

“It’s a surprise,” Cass insists, his eyes narrowing. “I’m only even telling you two bozos to make sure you’re there. Everything else will be revealed at six p.m. on the twenty-second. ”

Obie rolls his eyes. “All right, weirdo. And you and JJ have already talked about marriage?”

“Yeah. We’ve talked about it a lot, actually,” Cass says.

“JJ keeps saying that he’d be fine with just signing a few documents at the courthouse to make it official?—especially since we’re already living together and raising a child together?—but I want to give him something special, you know?

I want to propose. I want us to have a wedding.

I?—I want to give him everything he thought he’d never have. ”

“And you’re going to hyphenate your last names?” Ez asks curiously. “Like you did with Desi?”

Cass grins. “Yep. In a few months, you’ll be looking at Mr. Cassius Jackson-Chin.”

Obie’s eyebrows rocket up. “A few months? Pretty short engagement there, Cass.”

“Like I said, we’re basically married in all but name, anyway.

This is just getting the fancy piece of paper to put with Desi’s birth certificate.

” His smile wavers. “And?—and the soul exchange symptoms are starting to get worse. I know we originally thought that JJ and I would probably live for another century or two, but I’m not so sure anymore. ”

That catches Obie’s attention. “Symptoms? You mean the headaches and stomachaches that JJ has been getting?”

Cass’s grimace is the only answer Obie needs.

Back in March, when JJ agreed to a soul bond to save Cass’s life after the Sanctum ripped Cass’s soul apart?—and when Cass subsequently reversed the bond to save JJ’s life?—none of them expected their souls to accidentally mix, leaving them each with half of the other’s soul.

At first, they expected that the human–demon combination would cut Cass’s lifespan short while expanding JJ’s, giving them both another hundred years or so to live .

But then, around three months ago, JJ started getting headaches.

Stomach issues and general malaise, too.

There doesn’t seem to be much damage where his human soul is directly in contact with his half of Cass’s demon soul, but Obie has the sinking feeling that the exchange is doing far more harm than anticipated.

“They’re not just headaches and stomachaches anymore,” Cass says quietly.

“He’s always cold, even in the middle of summer, but he still gets night sweats almost every night.

And he’s been exhausted and achy during the day, too?—he’s actually started curling up on the couch with Desi when she takes her afternoon nap.

” He laughs shortly. “It would be adorable if it weren’t so concerning. ”

Ez’s eyes narrow, flickering down to Cass’s chest. Down to where the edge of his demonic soul is pressed against half of JJ’s human soul. “And how about you? Any symptoms on your end?”

Cass hesitates for a split second too long.

Obie’s stomach lurches. “Cass??—?”

“I’ve started waking up every morning with a headache, too.

” Cass doesn’t look at them. “And I’ve been sleeping more than ever, just like JJ, but I still feel tired all the time.

Not much of an appetite, either?—I mean, I didn’t have any appetite as a demon, but after the soul exchange, I needed my three meals a day.

Now, though…” He trails off. “I’m almost never hungry anymore, but whenever I skip a meal, I feel even worse. It’s been a balancing act.”

“Maybe…” Obie tastes bile. “Maybe you should both go to a human doctor? Get some bloodwork done?”

Cass’s jaw tightens. “We already did. We went to a doctor familiar with demonic research?—the ethical studies, not the Sanctum’s experiments?—and had her check JJ over.

” He winces. “According to her, JJ shouldn’t be alive by human or demon standards right now.

She couldn’t really interpret his test results one way or another.

And that’s?—?” He shakes his head sharply.

“I don’t want to talk about that right now, okay?

And I don’t want you two to worry about it.

We’ll figure it out, just like we always do.

For now, I just want to focus on marrying the love of my life. ”

Obie can tell that Ez wants to press the subject?—frankly, so does he?—but she reluctantly lets it drop. “I mean, as long as JJ says yes,” she says, only a hint of false cheer in her voice. “He could always say no.”

Cass rolls his eyes. “He’s not going to say no.”

“But could you imagine?” Obie persists, trying to lighten the mood. “Like, co-habiting and co-parenting and high-key almost dying for each other is fine, but marriage? That’s a step too far.”

“He’s not going to say no,” Cass repeats emphatically, his eyes drifting back to his boyfriend. “Honestly, I’m excited. I?—I never thought I’d get to have this. Never thought I’d even want to have this.”

Ez follows his gaze over to their humans, where Desi is now attempting to braid Roma’s hair while JJ and Chester watch in clear amusement. “Yeah,” she agrees softly. “Me, neither.”

Obie’s heart hurts. For the past two hundred years, ever since he met Cass and Ez, the three of them had dedicated their lives to warfare, to toppling dictatorships and demolishing terrorist regimes, to making their mark on the world in the best way they could, but now??—

Now, Cass willingly gave all that up to raise a little girl with his half-demon co-parent. Ez seems equally unimpressed by their old lifestyle, preferring to spend her days with her ex-hunter girlfriend, matching mugs of tea, and a handful of spell books. And Obie??—

Well. Obie hasn’t let himself get this close to a human in almost fifteen thousand years. It’s intoxicating and exhilarating and terrifying, all at once.

And it’s going to end in heartbreak no matter what. Even if Chester inexplicably returns Obie’s feelings, even if they break the binding spell and Chester decides to stay with Obie, even if they spend the rest of Chester’s life together??—

In the end, it’ll still be just the rest of Chester’s life.

One way or another, Obie is going to lose him.

But, for now, he shoves that thought to the back of his mind. For now, he and Chester are united in their mission to bring down the Sanctum, and for now, Cass is getting ready to propose to the love of his life.

Obie can deal with all the little details later.